UNAMET impartiality?
Preparations for direct balloting in East Timor to determine whether the East Timorese will remain integrated with Indonesia or become independent have been going on intensively, involving both the United Nations Assistance Mission in East Timor (UNAMET) and the Indonesian government.
Nevertheless, UNAMET staff members have already reported that current conditions are still not conducive enough for implementation of the direct ballot.
Such reports will, directly and indirectly, have an adverse effect on the credibility of the Indonesian government in the international arena. Pursuant to the resolution of the United Nations Security Council No. 1246 (1999) on the establishment of UNAMET, the Indonesian government has been assigned as a party responsible for maintaining peace and security in East Timor. As emphasized in the UN Secretary-General's report, the importance of a secure situation is to ensure that direct balloting will be implemented peacefully, honestly and in a manner free from intimidation, violence or intervention from any parties. It is also to guarantee the safety and security of UN staffers and other international organizations, as well as observers during their stay in East Timor (paragraph 9).
Tendentious reports referred to earlier are found in almost every national and international report on the East Timor question. Take a news story published in a national newspaper on June 19 under the title of "UNAMET staffer waylaid by militia". This news story implied controversy. On the one hand, it was reported that an UNAMET staffer was waylaid by a prointegration group (BMP) while he was visiting refugees in Liquica on June 17, 1999. On the other hand, the commander of military resort 164/WD, Col. Tono Suratman said the statement made by the UNAMET spokesman was completely untrue. The UNAMET team has never been waylaid by the militia. Col. Suratman also said his party and that of Ian Martin, UNAMET chairman, made the trip safely without being waylaid by anybody at the same time and on the same day. According to him, the intent of the report was to corner the prointegration group.
Irrespective of the correctness of the above-mentioned controversial news item, a close look at news reports on the activities of UNAMET in East Timor reveals a tendency to corner the Indonesian government, a condition justifying our doubt of the role that UNAMET is playing.
In connection with the above, it would be better for the East Timorese, both prointegration and proindependence, the Indonesian government and the United Nations (in this case UNAMET) to establish cooperation to promote alertness and remain consistent in implementing safe, honest and fair direct balloting in East Timor.
PUJIONO
Bekasi, West Java